Electrostatic precipitators and especially those wherein the collector electrodes are wet wall structures, it has been difficult to prevent the electrical bridging of various insulators used to isolate the discharge electrode high voltage from the frame or the base of the electrostatic precipitator. Inasmuch as the collector electrodes are covered with films of water, the environment of the discharge electrodes and their insulating means is always subject to damp environmental conditions especially with relation to pneumatic fluids carrying a substantial amount of water and it has, therefore, been a problem to maintain insulators in wet wall electrostatic precipitators and particularly insulators which will resist the leakage of high voltage energy under such environmental conditions. Of particular importance is the problem of arcing from a high voltage conductor to an area of the insulator which may be covered with a damp film of fluid thereon forming a conductor path to the frame of the electrostatic precipitator such that a conductor extending through the bore of a discharge electrode supporting insulator may arc to the bore when wet and ground to the frame of the machine. Such may be a problem relative to the operation of an electrostatic precipitator as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,681.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that prior art wet wall electrostatic precipitators have encountered operational problems particularly with relation to the insulation of the high voltage discharge system from the base or frame of the machine and with relation to a high voltage conductor coupled to the electrical discharge electrode system of the respective electrostatic precipitators.
Furthermore, the prior art electrostatic precipitators have encountered difficulties with the collection of conductive material on the insulators therein which has created substantial functional and maintenance problems.